Sebastian Wauter

Veumandian Emperor

Born 1187

Trained under Ekil Salem.

Scientia Wauter

The youngest child of Bartholomew and lover of Sebastian Wauter.

Leonard Wauter

The son of Sebastian and Scientia Wauter.

Helewis Wauter

The daughter of Sebastian and Scientia Wauter.

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The Idle-Glance is the cataclysmic event that severed the Aetherial Threads, dismantling the fabric of magic that bound the world together. It stripped most sorcerers of their abilities, neutralized many magical phenomena, and left lingering scars on reality itself. While initially believed to be an act of grief-fueled destruction, the true nature of the Idle-Glance is far more complex—a mix of unintended consequences, metaphysical collapse, and deliberate action.

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How Did Sebastian Cause It?

1. The Catalyst: Grief and Guilt
   • In 1491, after the death of his first-born son, Sebastian Wauter, who had been infused with immense magical power by his father Bartholomew, fell into a profound state of grief. His sorrow turned to rage at the inherent cost of magic, which he believed robbed humanity of its peace and freedom.
2. The Aetherial Severance
   • Sebastian accessed the Theósastrikíseikónas, an ancient and enigmatic artifact tied to the Aetherial Plane. This artifact allowed Sebastian to manipulate the Aetherial Threads on a massive scale. In his despair, he used the artifact to sever his own Thread, which connected him not only to his family but to the world’s magic itself.
   • What Sebastian did not realize was that his Thread was uniquely interwoven with the fabric of global magic, thanks to Bartholomew’s manipulation of the Threads when Sebastian was born. When he severed it, it caused a chain reaction, unraveling countless other Threads in the process.
3. The Intentional Glance
   • In his final act before fully severing his Thread, Sebastian enacted the Idle-Glance, a deliberate "pause" on the flow of magic. This was meant as both a punishment for the chaos magic had caused and a warning to future generations. However, the act’s unintended consequences proved far more devastating than even Sebastian had anticipated.

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Real Effects of the Idle-Glance

1. The Severing of Sorcery:
   • Sorcerers were the first and hardest hit:
     • Threads Severed: Most lost their ability to access the Threads entirely, rendering their powers useless.
     • Unweaving: Some sorcerers who relied heavily on magic were consumed by the severance, becoming Unwoven, fragmented entities lost in the Aetherial Plane.
     • Cultural Collapse: Entire sorcerer civilizations that had thrived for centuries were dismantled, their power structures based on magic rendered obsolete.
2. Dissolution of Magical Phenomena:
   • Many magical phenomena ceased to exist:
     • Vanished Lands: Entire regions sustained by magic, such as floating islands and enchanted forests, collapsed or disintegrated.
     • Creatures Depowered: Magical beings like dragons, elemental spirits, and even some Báuturíí were severely weakened or killed.
   • However, some remnants of magic persisted, albeit warped, such as Máncátír cycles, which became unpredictable and dangerous.
3. Aetherial Scarring:
   • The Idle-Glance created tears in the Aetherial Plane, leaving the Threads fragmented and unstable. These tears:
     • Allowed shadow entities and otherworldly creatures to seep into the physical world.
     • Created zones of instability, where time, space, and reality itself behave unpredictably.
4. Technological Revolution:
   • With magic rendered inaccessible, humanity turned to science and technology to survive and rebuild:
     • Industrialization: Nations began rapid industrial development, sparking revolutions in mechanics, agriculture, and warfare.
     • Loss of Knowledge: Much of the knowledge about magic and its integration into society was lost, leaving only fragmented texts and myths.
5. Cultural Shifts:
   • The Idle-Glance reshaped societal structures:
     • Religious Movements: Many blamed the severance on humanity’s hubris, leading to the rise of anti-magic religions and cults venerating Sebastian as a godlike figure.
     • Distrust of Sorcerers: Survivors of the Idle-Glance viewed sorcerers with suspicion or outright hostility, blaming them for the catastrophe.
6. Impact on Báuturíí and Máncátír:
   • Báuturíí: The symbiotic Báuturíí survived but became more insular, their connection to the hive mind partially severed. Many saw this as a betrayal by Sebastian, who had once protected them.
   • Máncátír: The cycles of transformation were destabilized, with some individuals becoming permanently trapped in their monstrous forms or experiencing unpredictable shifts.

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Legacy of the Idle-Glance

1. Sebastian’s Role as a Martyr or Villain:
   • Opinions on Sebastian vary:
     • Some see him as a savior, who freed humanity from the destructive chaos of magic.
     • Others view him as a monster, whose actions condemned the world to centuries of suffering.
2. Survivors’ Adaptation:
   • A few sorcerers and magical creatures managed to adapt by learning to draw from new sources of power:
     • Hemomancy: Báuturíí refined blood magic as a substitute for Aetherial Threads.
     • Arcane Artifacts: Sorcerers turned to enchanted relics, imbuing them with residual magical energy.
3. Sebastian’s Descendants:
   • The Wauter bloodline became fractured, with some descendants vowing to restore magic and others seeking to ensure it remained dormant.
   • Stories of Sebastian’s blade, said to carry remnants of his severed Thread, persist as a powerful relic tied to the Idle-Glance.
4. Lingering Phenomena:
   • The scars of the Idle-Glance remain visible in the form of:
     • Thread Echoes: Flickers of severed Threads that sometimes manifest as ghostly phenomena.
     • Tears in Reality: Zones where the Aetherial Plane bleeds into the physical, creating unstable pockets of time and space.